MacRetro chat and rides thread

[epicyclo]

The talk of wide tyres the other day reminded me of experiences in outback Australia where the wrong sort of tyre can be a fatal mistake.

Comments made by the early explorers stuck in my mind. So I dug into my library instead of fixing bikes. A good way to spend a few hours though.

One of these was Jerome J Murif* in 1897, who made his way from Adelaide to Darwin of a bicycle (about 2,000 miles before roads!).

This was his opinion:

Two-inch tyres should be used; inch and three quarter are too narrow. Mine ...(1 ¾")... were too heavy or dead for cycling over sand.

This was between Depot Well and Alice Well on the Hugh River, so pretty typical central Oz terrain.

I think we can take that as expert advice. Or at least I do, and probably Jamie too, because we've been through those sorts of places on 2 wheels.




*Jerome J Murif "From Ocean to Ocean" 1897

 

[mr-mac]

Re:

Brilliant!!!



The 35 Vitoria tyres will be on way to me so now to decide on some nice black mudgaurds

 

[kaiser]

Re:

Hey y'all. Thought I'd pop back in see how you are all doing. Did I miss anything?

 

[Jamiedyer]

Hi mate, Long time no see.
Thought you might have been hiding out with Gaz
Looked for you at the Puffer as well.
How are things going?

Jamie

 

[kaiser]

Re:

Gaz is back on bikes too, haven't saw him for a while mind you. As for the Puffer.....seems a long time ago. Gives me the fear even thinking about it. Must have been mad.

 

[velomaniac]

Hi K, nice to know your still out there.

Well realised recently that for me MTB is over. Too strenuous for my unfit state and frankly scares the poo out me nowadays.
I just keep seeing what'll go wrong in my head when I meet a sketchy bit of trail.

However now that it has a simple name what I do still enjoy I'll stick with,...,..Gravel

Basically I'll still ride off road but on smoother single and double track and carry the bike over any obstacles. Similar style to Jamie and Brian but without the epic Highlands backdrop.

 

[clubby]

Well realised recently that for me MTB is over. Too strenuous for my unfit state and frankly scares the poo out me nowadays.

Ach, bollox to that mate.

Look at Pitmedden, it’s not that far back.
Were you chasing everyone’s back tyre on the downhills, no. Did you enjoy it, yes. Did any of us care you were slightly slower than us, no. Just like no one cared about having to wait on me drag my fat arse up the hills.

This current situation is crap. Fitness and motivation are difficult. Just ride. Doesn’t matter if it is MTB or “gravel” , which is just the MTB we used to do before the media and bike companies diversified (fractured) things.
In the grand scheme of things it’s all just bikes. Retro, modern, gravel, road, the only truthful thing that ever came out of Lance Armstrong’s mouth is that it really isn’t about the bike, but where it takes you.

 

[kaiser]

Re:

I'd go with that ^ good to see you are still pedaling anyway V.

 

[velomaniac]

Re:

Let's not exaggerate, I was not chasing anyone's back wheel at Pitmedden. Most of time I'd lost site of you guys and the only time I ever caught up with anyone was when someone stopped or crashed.

Anyway it's not riding at a sedate pace off road I'm giving up its trying to ride obstacles, steep stuff and techy bits, basically the mountainy bits of MTB. I intend to dismount and walk carry through stuff more than I did before. I'm 50 but with my health issues I feel older. I'll still do Pitmedden but I'll always be the slowest. As for trail centres like GT no longer keen on grades red and upward unless done at walking pace

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re:

velo I seem to remember waiting for you a couple of times at Pitmedden, aye OK I was catching my breath but at least it looked like I was waiting......... :mrgreen:

You might find that your bike has a lot to do with it. I was still using 20 y.o. bikes, my Cannondale F800 with 100mm Lefty and before that a Marin Wolf Ridge with 130mm front, 120mm rear travel but realised a few months ago that I was near ending myself trying to keep up with Keith and Kenny down trails on their modern hardtails, Cotics, that had way better forks than the 20y.o. 100mm Lefty and bigger/fatter/grippier tyres.

I'm a kick in the baws away from 67, in July, so I thought "what do I need with a modern bike", it wouldn't make a difference, I was wrong.

So I bought a brand new modern geometry 650b+ hardtail with a 150mm fork, jeez it's just no contest with what I was riding. The bike is faster and most of all the comfort of fat tyres and decent suspension has made a big difference to how I feel on a ride and more importantly afterwards. I don't feel as battered tae feck even though I've found I'm faster down some trails which had bits I used to bottle out, now I can ride them. Not saying I'm near keeping up with Keith and Kenny, I'm still probably just as slow uphill as I was, but I can enjoy going faster down the way than I did with the old bikes.

OK just going out and buying a new bike is easy for me to say, OTT even, they are not cheap but try and find a used bike/frame that was at least designed in the 21st century with a good fork and clearance for fatter tyres, you NEED comfort.